The Photoreactivity of Thiocarbonyl Compounds

Lawesson's Reagent: Providing a New Approach to the Forgotten 6-Thioverdazyl Radical

A new method for the preparation of the underrepresented 1,5-dimethyl-6-thioverdazyl radicals has been developed employing Lawesson's reagent (LR). The synthetic route involves the direct thionation of the carbonyl group of the corresponding dialkylbishydrazone followed by cyclization to give the tetrazinanthione verdazyl precursor on a gram scale. Subsequent oxidation yields the 6-thioverdazyl radical. It was determined that thionation of substrates containing electron-withdrawing groups in the ortho- or para-positions was high yielding. In contrast, for the parent phenyl group or substrates bearing weakly electron-donating substituents, thionation efficiency was significantly reduced. This could be overcome by utilizing partial in situ cyclization, which occurs during work up, to generate the tetrazinanthione directly via a one-pot synthesis. Density functional theory suggests that the LR fragment interacts with the carbonyl prior to cycloaddition and subsequent to cycloreversion, leading to the thiocarbonyl. The electronic nature of the radical is characterized with electron paramagnetic resonance as well as the first report of 6-thioverdazyl redox properties.

Formation of Tetrahydrothiophenes via a Thia-Paternò-Büchi-Initiated Domino Photochemical Reaction

We have established photochemical access to thietane or tetrahydrothiophene compounds from thiobenzophenone derivatives and acrylonitrile, wherein the product selectivity is controlled by a simple adjustment of the reagent concentration in solution. Small libraries of five-membered ring sulfur-containing compounds were prepared through a thia-Paternò-Büchi reaction, followed by a previously unknown regioselective photochemical ring enlargement reaction in a domino process or a stepwise fashion. A mechanism is proposed to rationalize this ring enlargement reaction via a carbene species provided from photoexcited thiocarbonyl compounds.

A thiocarbonyl-containing small molecule for optoelectronics

We report the synthesis, characterization, and device properties of a novel thiocarbonyl iso-DPP derivative, namely 1,3,4,6-tetraphenylpyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-2,5(1H,4H)-dithione.

The Triplet State of 6-thio-2'-deoxyguanosine: Intrinsic Properties and Reactivity Toward Molecular Oxygen

Thiopurine prodrugs are currently among the leading treatment options for leukemia, immunosuppression, and arthritis. Patients undergoing long-term thiopurine treatment are at a higher risk of developing sunlight-induced skin cancers than the general population. This side effect originates from the cellular metabolization of thiopurine prodrugs to form 6-thio-2'-deoxyguanosine, which can absorb UVA radiation, populating its reactive triplet state and leading to oxidatively generated damage. However, the photo-oxidation mechanism is not fully understood. In this contribution, the oxidation potential and the adiabatic triplet energy of 6-thio-2'-deoxyguanosine are estimated computationally, whereas the intrinsic rate of triple-state decay and the rate constant for triplet quenching by molecular oxygen are determined using time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. A singlet oxygen quantum yield of 0.24 ± 0.02 is measured in aqueous solution (0.29 ± 0.02 in acetonitrile). Its magnitude correlates with the relatively low percentage of triplet-O₂ collision events that generate singlet oxygen (S_Δ = 37%). This behavior is rationalized as being due to the exergonic driving force for electron transfer between the triplet state of 6-thio-2'-deoxyguanosine and molecular oxygen (ΔG_ET = -69.7 kJ mol^-1 ), resulting in the formation of a charge-transfer complex that favors nonradiative decay to the ground state over triplet energy transfer.